Rizal XentroMall stunned San Juan, 94-89, in overtime on Monday to shake up the MPBL 2026 season at the One Arena in Cainta, Rizal.
Billy Robles, dubbed the “Ilonggo Superman,” and veteran Mark Yee delivered standout performances as Rizal bounced back from consecutive losses and handed powerhouse San Juan its first defeat in three games.
Trailing 72-79 with 6:39 remaining, the Golden Coolers unleashed an 11-point surge — six coming from Robles — while limiting the Knights to just four points to force an 83-all deadlock, capped by Patrick Sleat’s game-tying drive.
Robles opened overtime with a triple, but Mike Phillips answered with six straight points to give San Juan an 89-88 edge. The Knights, however, went scoreless the rest of the way. Yee responded with a short jumper and two clutch free throws to give Rizal a 92-89 lead with 8.9 seconds left.
San Juan called a timeout, but James Kwekuteye missed a potential game-tying triple. Joel Lee Yu then sprinted for the finishing basket to seal the final score.
Robles finished with 17 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists to lead Rizal.
“We helped each other. We never gave up,” said Robles, recalling how the team trailed by as much as 47-62 in the third quarter.
Yu added 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Marco Balagtas also had 14 points and five rebounds. Jake Gaspay recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, JP Sarao contributed 10 points, and Yee chipped in 10 points and three rebounds.
Phillips led San Juan with 15 points, 18 rebounds, and three blocks, but struggled at the line, missing three crucial free throws — one in regulation and two in overtime.
Terrence Fortea added 14 points and two assists, while Harold Alarcon chipped in 13 points, three assists, and two rebounds for the Knights.
In the opener, Sarangani survived Bacolod’s late rally to escape with a 96-94 victory. Despite leading by 15 points late in the game, the Marlins nearly squandered the advantage as the Masskaras mounted a 14-point run in the final 2:48.
Carl Bryan Lacap led Sarangani with 20 points built on five triples, along with four rebounds and two assists. Andre Duremdes tallied 11 points and 11 rebounds in under 15 minutes, while King Destacamento added 12 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
Bacolod fell to 1-1 despite a monster outing from Ian Melencio, who posted 37 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, and three steals. Hance Lleva contributed 21 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.
In the nightcap, Imus rallied from a 20-point deficit to defeat Iloilo, 71-63.
Eroll Soriano scored 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to power the comeback, lifting the Imus Bandera to a 1-1 record. Ralph Robin supported with 17 points, eight rebounds, and five assists, while Jordan Rios added nine points.
Iloilo dropped to 0-2 despite Levi Hernandez’s dominant 37-point, 16-rebound performance.
The tournament continues on Tuesday at the Caloocan Sports Complex, featuring matchups between Quezon Province and Biñan at 4:00 PM, Abra against Parañaque at 5:00 PM, and Caloocan versus Mindoro at 8:00 PM.
